By Lalit K JhaWashington, Nov 15 (PTI) The latest FBI report showing anincrease in hate crimes against South Asians "confirm uneasyfeelings of many of the community members," South Asian BarAssociation of North America has said.
While overall, the increase in hate crimes against SouthAsians represents a five per cent increase in incidents, insome cases, Hindus have experienced a 100 per cent increase inhate crimes from five in 2015 to 10 in 2017, South Asian BarAssociation of North America (SABA) said yesterday.
"These statistics confirm the uneasy feelings of many ofour community members, that we are being targeted," said SABApresident Rishi Bagga.
"We must work with law enforcement, including reportinghate crimes when they occur. We must speak out. And mostimportantly, we must support each other," Bagga said.
Comparing the numbers from 2015, the statistics displaydisturbing trends, SABA said, adding that, incidents targetingAsians generally increased from 111 to 113 – a two per centand those targeting Arabs increased from 37 to 51 (a 38 percent).
Incidents targeting Muslims increased from 257 to 307 (of19 per cent), and those targeting Sikhs increased from 6 to 7(of 17 per cent increase).
"South Asian communities are being targeted in a way thatwe have not seen since immediately after 9/11," SABA said.
FBI had released its annual figures of hate crime onMonday. The FBI compiles its hate crime statistics fromincidents reported by police through the Uniform CrimeReporting programme.
The statistics do not track South Asians (those who tracetheir ethnicity from the Indian subcontinent, including themodern countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,Bhutan, and Nepal) as a separate category, examining severalother identifying characteristics, such as racial andreligious identities shared by South Asians, reflects adramatic increase in the targeting of people of South Asiandescent. PTI LKJAJR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.